When aircraft had style plus just cool aircraft

Borregos · Post by **Borregos** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 6:31 am

Wish I could get to this

HLSCAF Members Duxford, England Aircraft Show

http://player.vimeo.com/video/37599899

(SOUND)

Brilliant 2.20 min ad video for Duxford, England Aircraft Show, Sat 31st July and Sun 1st August 2012

RIHMFIRE · Post by **RIHMFIRE** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 6:39 am

Borregos wrote:Wish I could get to this

HLSCAF Members Duxford, England Aircraft Show

http://player.vimeo.com/video/37599899

(SOUND)

Brilliant 2.20 min ad video for Duxford, England Aircraft Show, Sat 31st July and Sun 1st August 2012

Very Kool Video!

Newtmaker · Post by **Newtmaker** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 7:31 am

I had this one posted on Plane-A-Day a several days ago.

Walt

gak · Post by **gak** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 11:34 am

Always thought the Cessna T-37 would make a great personal craft. A two-place trainer (side by side) made for a nice wide cockpit (especially for one and a pic-a-nick basket or favorite gun dog!! We had a lot of these at Williams AFB here in Arizona when I was growing up. IIRC, the pilots said it was very noisy what with the main mechanicals right there by your side. Cute lil' bugger though!

jeepnik · Post by **jeepnik** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:11 pm

gak wrote:Always thought the Cessna T-37 would make a great personal craft. A two-place trainer (side by side) made for a nice wide cockpit (especially for one and a pic-a-nick basket or favorite gun dog!! We had a lot of these at Williams AFB here in Arizona when I was growing up. IIRC, the pilots said it was very noisy what with the main mechanicals right there by your side. Cute lil' bugger though!

Lancair has a small "kit" plane that's quite similar, well except it's a prop job. But you better be very friendly with whomever you fly with. The cockpit is tight.

gak · Post by **gak** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:47 pm

jeepnik wrote:]
Lancair has a small "kit" plane that's quite similar, well except it's a prop job. But you better be very friendly with whomever you fly with. The cockpit is tight.

I would imagine two of my size would not fit well if at all in the T-37!

C. Cash · Post by **C. Cash** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 7:10 pm

gak wrote:Always thought the Cessna T-37 would make a great personal craft. A two-place trainer (side by side) made for a nice wide cockpit (especially for one and a pic-a-nick basket or favorite gun dog!! We had a lot of these at Williams AFB here in Arizona when I was growing up. IIRC, the pilots said it was very noisy what with the main mechanicals right there by your side. Cute lil' bugger though!

Oh yeah.....loved the t-37's and 38's there. Dad retired from Williams in 73's so we could cruise right on to base. Great air shows with the F4 Phantom Thunderbirds out there, during the 70's.

damienph · Post by **damienph** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 9:37 pm

Newtmaker wrote:I had this one posted on Plane-A-Day a several days ago.

Walt

As an AF brat, I always liked watching the T33 trainer version of the F80 Shooting Star flying. Just a beautiful aircraft.

Oops, quote didn't show pic...

Hawkeye2 · Post by **Hawkeye2** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 10:38 pm

That P-80 has T-33 tip tanks and the canopy looks much bigger than the usual P(F)-80 canopy. In the early 80s I was working on my roof when I saw what I am sure was 2 F-80s fly over. As a child it was my favorite jet and I'm sure I couldn't have mistaken them specially with the underslung tip tanks.

olyinaz · Post by **olyinaz** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 11:06 pm

30 years and still going strong!

Oly

gak · Post by **gak** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 1:59 am

damienph wrote:
As an AF brat, I always liked watching the T33 trainer version of the F80 Shooting Star flying. Just a beautiful aircraft.

+1 also as an AF brat. We had a number of T-33s at our base in southern Japan. I loved that plane too. My father flew them occasionally to Tokyo to keep his current/status up.

The T-33 or T-Bird had quite a long life from the early 50s into the 80s, IIRC a very good service/reliability record.

We had quite the array of aircraft at our base. In addition to the 33s, full wings, squadrons, groups etc of:
- F-100s (main mission), my favorite, replaced halfway through our 30 month stay with
- F-105s - amazing aircraft
Also
- F-102s - these delta wing interceptors would regularly be scrambled to escort snooping Russian MiGs out of our area and Japanese airspace--this in the height of the Cold War and then early Vietnam combat and intel support. Little did I know how heady all this stuff was--as an 8-10 kid and young plane nut, I just thought it all was cool!
- F-101s (Recon mission)
As support;
- C-121s (Constellations)
- C-130s
- C-119 "Flying Boxcars"
- C-124s - monster cargo
- C-47s and C-46s
- C-118s (DC-6) transport (and how we got to Tokyo from US)
- C-54s transport
- C-97s (Boeing Stratocruiser)
As I understand it, F-100s returned later to support VN operations.
The 97s and 124s were the C-141s and C-5s of the era)
Not much - that's about it

Newtmaker · Post by **Newtmaker** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 7:36 am

Today's pic of a B-2 Stealth Bomber is also on of my shots

It is listed as 1 of 2, so I guess they will be using another view tomorrow.

Walt

Old Time Hunter · Post by **Old Time Hunter** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 8:02 am

Originally used in the quest for the best carnuba wax!

Borregos · Post by **Borregos** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 8:06 am

That is interesting, what is it?

jeepnik · Post by **jeepnik** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 3:25 pm

[quote="C. Cash
Oh yeah.....loved the t-37's and 38's there. Dad retired from Williams in 73's so we could cruise right on to base. Great air shows with the F4 Phantom Thunderbirds out there, during the 70's.[/quote]

Yep loved it when the T-Birds flew the Phantom. I think it was '73 or '74 they went to T-38's to save on fuel costs. Darned T-38's were so small it was hard to see them. I think they went to F-16's after a couple of years.

Old Time Hunter · Post by **Old Time Hunter** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 5:58 pm

Borregos wrote:That is interesting, what is it?

1928 Sikorsky S-38

The obit on the guy that had it built:

Samuel Johnson was the chairman emeritus of SC Johnson Wax and was as devoted to aviation as his father, who in 1935 flew a Sikorsky S-38 amphibian to Brazil in search of Carnauba palms, a key ingredient in wax.

Samuel C. Johnson believed that business should serve a higher purpose in life, and be managed for the next generation versus the next quarter’s bottom-line. The man known affectionately by all as simply Sam, leaves a legacy of visionary leadership, remarkable success and great humanitarianism as a model for others.

This is the story of how his son, heir to that company once known as Johnson's Wax (today called S.C. Johnson), had his own epiphany: to re-energize the company and family spirit by making the same flight 60 years later—in the identical airplane his father had flown.

There was just one rather formidable obstacle: The wonderful amphibian biplane that had carried Samuel Curtis Johnson's father all the way to Brazil in 1935 had unceremoniously sunk to the bottom of Manokwari Bay, Indonesia, in 1938. There were no others in existence anywhere in the world.

Imagine this wonderfully sleek, 1930s-era speedboat, handcrafted in expensive hardwoods and lavishly decked out in cabin upholstery, curtains and appointments befitting a classy yacht. Now rig up a couple of wings and slap on two 450-hp Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior engines, and you've got the quintessential Terry and the Pirates-era amphibian: the Sikorsky S-38 Flying Boat.

Then they found the original:
The Johnson family has succeeded in its quest to find the wreckage of the original Carnauba airplane, a 1930s vintage aircraft that played a key role in S.C. Johnson & Son Inc.'s early history.

The wreckage has been found off the shores of Manokwari Bay, Papua, Indonesia in 90 feet of water in a debris field, according to a statement from the company. Fisk Johnson, chairman and chief executive officer of the Racine-based family-owned company led the expedition.

Johnson was joined on the dive trip with his brother, Curt Johnson, chairman of JohnsonDiversey, Inc. JohnsonDiversey, Inc. Latest from The Business Journals Follow this company , Sturtevant, and his sister, Helen Johnson-Leipold, chairwoman and CEO of Johnson Outdoors Inc. Johnson Outdoors Inc. Latest from The Business Journals Follow this company , Racine, and chairwoman of Johnson Financial Group, Racine. Their mother, Gene Johnson, the widow of the late Samuel C. Johnson, also took part in the trip.

Fisk Johnson and his family embarked on an expedition June 27 to search for the wreckage of the Sikorsky 38 aircraft. Johnson's late grandfather, H.F. Johnson, Jr., flew the amphibious plane 15,000 miles to Brazil in 1935, searching for a sustainable source of wax -- the Carnauba palm tree.

After the expedition to Brazil, the plane was sold to a petroleum company and crashed off the coast of Indonesia shortly after takeoff during a flight in 1938. The pilot, not related to the Johnson family, swam to shore and survived, but the plane was not recovered despite extensive searches, including a 1997 Johnson family dive expedition.

"Seeing the original plane for the first time, resting deep under the ocean, was magical," Fisk Johnson said. "We've all dreamt of the moment that would finalize Carnauba's incredible journey. Now that it's here, words simply can't capture this experience. It was as if Dad was with us. We could feel his spirit and his love of adventure."

Although plans for the wreckage have yet to be determined, Johnson has previously said that he hoped to be able to relocate part or all of it to the new building being constructed to honor his father. The building will display the replica Carnauba aircraft that Samuel Johnson and his sons flew to Brazil in 1998 when retracing the famed 1935 adventure.

Booger Bill · Post by **Booger Bill** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 7:32 pm

OTH, is that one still on display at the EAA museum in oshkosh? I been in it. They used to run a movie in it while you sat in it just like you were flying.

Old Time Hunter · Post by **Old Time Hunter** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 7:53 am

Booger Bill wrote:OTH, is that one still on display at the EAA museum in oshkosh? I been in it. They used to run a movie in it while you sat in it just like you were flying.

That is just a partial model for display at the EAA, the real one is hangered in East Troy,WI. Actually still flies on occasion...very noisy and on warm up or when you taxi, the engines get you and your co-pilot doused in hot droplets of oil.

Borregos · Post by **Borregos** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 2:44 pm

Thanks for that Old Time Hunter

1894c · Post by **1894c** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 7:31 pm

where's Pichy's plane...?

Ji in Hawaii · Post by **Ji in Hawaii** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 5:19 am

I really like the lines of the current US Airforce Trainer the Hawker Beechcraft T-6A Texan II, reminds me of a P-51
http://www.airforce-technology.com/proj ... -ii-jpats/

jnyork · Post by **jnyork** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 9:06 pm

LZ Litts, April 1967

Alan Wood · Post by **Alan Wood** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 9:15 pm

jnyork wrote:LZ Litts, April 1967

Ok I don't recognize the aircraft type what is it?

jnyork · Post by **jnyork** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:39 pm

Alan Wood wrote:
jnyork wrote:LZ Litts, April 1967

Ok I don't recognize the aircraft type what is it?

C7A Caribou. Here: http://www.c-7acaribou.com/

olyinaz · Post by **olyinaz** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 2:58 am

They were still flying the Golden Knights around in a Caribou when I was in the Army. Ungainly aircraft but I'm told that they were quite rugged.

My first airplane ride was in one of these:

Pretty exciting for a Minnesota farm boy!

Oly

Bis · Post by **Bis** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 7:54 am

Spent a lot of time working on the C7A (Caribou) in Phu Cat. They sure didn't need much runway to get off the ground.

Grizz · Post by **Grizz** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 10:08 am

some great grumman videos on utoob. I rode around in them a lot in Alaska.

this is in BC, but looks exactly like flying in SE Alaska

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlFPCpe8Akk

this is an ADF&G aircraft practising, uh, I don't know... sticking it I guess. Great clips of the flying beauty. imagine a boat that hops from lake to river to ocean. wonderful aircraft in every regard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwNI4hWA ... re=related

gak · Post by **gak** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 11:37 am

Oly, I'll raise you one

My first - June 1962. United DC-8. Friendship (Baltimore) to SF.

And my second, same June '62. C-118 (DC-6). 36 Hrs from Travis AFB (SF) to Tachikawa AFB (Tokyo) incl two brief stops to refuel @ Honolulu and Wake Is. Riding backwards in paratroop seats with a/c on fritz

Third: June 62. Tachikawa to Itazuke AFB (Kyushu, Japan). C-130 Hercules. Sideways paratroop web jump seats. No sound insulation (just ear wax)

Return home - Pan Am 707-321B - ahhhh.

olyinaz · Post by **olyinaz** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 3:00 pm

First jet I ever flew was a Deisel 8! That was a MANS jet - no hydraulic assist and a real fist full of steel. You could deploy the inboard reversers while in flight and the old joke was that if you could SEE the runway - you could land on it. Don't bloody care how high you are. The flight attendants were not amused when the boys up front would start having fun and get the jet pointed 30deg nose down and shaking like a Tokyo quake in a screaming descent - those beverage carts get HEAVY when they're on a grade like that! I had a few Captains who had to make a visit to the Cheif Pilot from time to time for a butt chewing session.

We flew 'em until the mid-90s. A flat out GREAT jet that really was the better of the two when compared to the more famous 707. My opinion and I'll stick to it!

Oly

jeepnik · Post by **jeepnik** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 7:00 pm

olyinaz wrote:First jet I ever flew was a Deisel 8! That was a MANS jet - no hydraulic assist and a real fist full of steel. You could deploy the inboard reversers while in flight and the old joke was that if you could SEE the runway - you could land on it. Don't bloody care how high you are. The flight attendants were not amused when the boys up front would start having fun and get the jet pointed 30deg nose down and shaking like a Tokyo quake in a screaming descent - those beverage carts get HEAVY when they're on a grade like that! I had a few Captains who had to make a visit to the Cheif Pilot from time to time for a butt chewing session.

We flew 'em until the mid-90s. A flat out GREAT jet that really was the better of the two when compared to the more famous 707. My opinion and I'll stick to it!

Oly

Well I'll be, that crash truck in the foreground has what looks like an old Fire Suppression Kit on the top behind the cab. We used to sling these under our Hunkies. No idea why they would need it unless it was for small stuff and they didn't want to go thru all the flush out procedures after the main system was used. And for Pete's sake, fire trucks are supposed to be RED. Who ever came up with all these funky colors?

jnyork · Post by **jnyork** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 7:13 pm

Bis wrote:Spent a lot of time working on the C7A (Caribou) in Phu Cat. They sure didn't need much runway to get off the ground.

PM incoming.

CalvinMD · Post by **CalvinMD** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 10:01 pm

Will post a great old photo of my grandad(gotta scan it in, very fragile) in 1936 in his Boeing P12E protecting the Panama Canal, he discharged in 40..after reenlisting after the birth of my dad he later moved on to P40 Warhawks and was at Pearl 12/7/41 and survived getting airborne to exact some payback...his younger brother flew B-17's then 29's and trained for 52's retiring a Colonel in 1972 at age 53....myself my personal is by far the A-10..anybody not scared to death of being the target of a Warthog isn't in their right mind

olyinaz · Post by **olyinaz** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 12:18 am

CalvinMD wrote:Will post a great old photo of my grandad(gotta scan it in, very fragile) in 1936 in his Boeing P12E protecting the Panama Canal, he discharged in 40..after reenlisting after the birth of my dad he later moved on to P40 Warhawks and was at Pearl 12/7/41 and survived getting airborne to exact some payback...

Please do! What was yer grandpappy's name?

Oly

mack · Post by **mack** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:19 am

Ran across these photos from last summer at Owls Head ME

Ji in Hawaii · Post by **Ji in Hawaii** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 12:53 pm

My nephew who is a C-130 pilot in the USCG came for a visit with his wife last night. He loves talking planes.
He said he learned to fly on a T34C Mentor Turbo made by Beechcraft.
I asked if the USCG was considering any new fixed wing designs and he said they were looking into the Alenia C-127J Spartan made in Italy which shares engines and systems with the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules also the US Air Force already using these so makes allot of sense. Nice to have a plane that other braces of service are using.
Another runner was the Spanish made EADS CASA HC-144 Ocean Sentry.
According to my nephew the C-127J aircraft was superior in performance in every category to the C-144, and with the redundancy of parts shared with the C-130J made the C-127J the obvious choice but the Admiral of the USCG selected the C-144 instead stating the slight savings in cost per plane but right after his retirement the retired admiral got a position with Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA). Also this plane unique to the USCG no other service branch ordering this plane. Most USCG pilots not very happy with the decision.

Beechcraft T34C Mentor Turbo

Alenia C-127J Spartan

EADS CASA HC-144 Ocean Sentry

GonnePhishin · Post by **GonnePhishin** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 5:34 pm

but right after his retirement the retired admiral got a position with Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA).

WOW, what a coincidence

Thanks for sharing Ji

stretch · Post by **stretch** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:46 pm

Mack, I saw that Zero fly down in Brunswick last year!

The pilot did NOT spare the horses, either. He really
beat the place up with it! It was thrilling to see
somebody put that airplane through it's paces. I kept
thinking, "Don't let him suffer an engine failure!"

-Stretch

Bis · Post by **Bis** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 7:00 pm

jnyork- pm sent

mack · Post by **mack** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 8:10 pm

stretch,
Did this F4U fly at Brunswick? You now why they called them"whistling death" if you've ever been near a low altitude fly by. You hear the whistle first, then the engine noise after the plane has gone past.

CalvinMD · Post by **CalvinMD** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 8:27 pm

I also have my grandads squadron insignia pins...will post them too as maybe y'all know more info than I do on them...he didn't like talking much about war...a very proud but religious man who it always bothered taking lives ..even of our countries enemies

The very coolest thing that my dad told me of was my grandads being on a first name basis with Claire Chennault, Hap Arnold and also he met Paul Tibbets.....sorry its fuzzy but the words on the prop blades closeup on the Pirate pin says "Parati Defendere"

I was told that since Paps was a aeronautical engineer that his opinions were cherished by the Generals when questions on the limits of the crafts he flew were mission critical ...can you tell I'm proud of him and my uncle??

claybob86 · Post by **claybob86** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 8:48 pm

olyinaz wrote:First jet I ever flew was a Deisel 8! That was a MANS jet - no hydraulic assist and a real fist full of steel. You could deploy the inboard reversers while in flight and the old joke was that if you could SEE the runway - you could land on it. Don't bloody care how high you are. The flight attendants were not amused when the boys up front would start having fun and get the jet pointed 30deg nose down and shaking like a Tokyo quake in a screaming descent - those beverage carts get HEAVY when they're on a grade like that! I had a few Captains who had to make a visit to the Cheif Pilot from time to time for a butt chewing session.

We flew 'em until the mid-90s. A flat out GREAT jet that really was the better of the two when compared to the more famous 707. My opinion and I'll stick to it!

Oly

My favorite too! Still quite a few DC-8s flying freight. Also, it was the first airliner to go supersonic! (Intentionally, that is!)

retmech · Post by **retmech** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 9:41 pm

Thought I'd post a picture of my favorite airliner. I started working on these at American Airlines in 1967 till I was laid off in 1972. I came back to them in 1980 with Fedex and retired in 2005. I've seen just about everything you can on a 727 and I think it's one of the best airliners Boeing ever built!

Here we are on final.

And here is the "push back" at departure.

gak · Post by **gak** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 12:07 pm

Retmech, I agree the 727 was an outstanding a/c. Here it is in my favorite 727 'liner - original livery United.

I have a "thing" for this iconic livery - same as on my first flight DC-8. I think United should go retro and bring it back!
Sadly a bygone era

Actually tied for this Pan Am livery. Another iconic version - (sorry for the low res - original)

retmech · Post by **retmech** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 1:08 pm

One of the interesting things about the 727 was it's trouble free operation. At Fedex the 727 had the highest dispatch reliability of all our aircraft. Newer aircraft such as the DC10 and MD11 weren't even close. Just before I retired the Airbuses got close but they were a heck of a lot newer. Not a bad reputation for 30-40 year old aircraft! Fuel consumption, pressurization cycles and the 3 man cockpit are what caused their phase out.

gak · Post by **gak** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 1:50 pm

retmech wrote: ...727... Fuel consumption, pressurization cycles and the 3 man cockpit are what caused their phase out.

Given the recent pilot incident, a 3 man cockpit sounds like a good idea again!

gak · Post by **gak** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 3:12 pm

Claybob and Oly in particular, you'll get a kick out of this DC-8 clip--titled United DC-8 to Hawaii or some such. Same basic plane, livery everythng I flew stateside in my first flight as a kid in '62. The landing scene is almost identical to the opening scene in Elvis' Blue Hawaii IIRC. What a gorgeous plane. Great if too brief nostalgic clip for 8-fans.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpnmVSYfwNk

olyinaz · Post by **olyinaz** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 5:14 pm

gak wrote:Retmech, I agree the 727 was an outstanding a/c. Here it is in my favorite 727 'liner - original livery United.

I have a "thing" for this iconic livery - same as on my first flight DC-8. I think United should go retro and bring it back!
Sadly a bygone era
Actually tied for this Pan Am livery. Another iconic version - (sorry for the low res - original)

I always loved the blue ball and thought it was very sad when she went down, but United did acquire her Pacific division and all assets/crews with it, so her legacy survives.

I like that classic 727 livery best also, but United does have a Friendship flying the Friendly (?) Skies again:

I'd love to see 'em do more classic liveries, but it costs.

Cheers,
Oly

gak · Post by **gak** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 5:49 pm

Hey Oly, I had no idea! Cool-I'll take it!...or at least close enough

This "stars & bars" and upper/lower italic treatment was sort of a close cousin of the original "delivery livery" on the DC-8, 720, 727, Caravelle, etc. Is this currently just on that particular model? I wouldn't think a classic livery - fleet wide - would cost any more than any other if/when they do a complete paint/design scheme change, like they do from time to time.

olyinaz · Post by **olyinaz** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 7:39 pm

gak wrote:Hey Oly, I had no idea! Cool-I'll take it!...or at least close enough This "stars & bars" and upper/lower italic treatment was sort of a close cousin of the original "delivery livery" on the DC-8, 720, 727, Caravelle, etc. Is this currently just on that particular model? I wouldn't think a classic livery - fleet wide - would cost any more than any other if/when they do a complete paint/design scheme change, like they do from time to time.

Agreed! Unfortunately it's just on that one airplane at this time and they are running a 737 in classic Continental livery also.

Who can tell me what the four stars represent?

Oly

gak · Post by **gak** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:46 pm

olyinaz wrote:.Who can tell me what the four stars represent?

Always wondered. Four decades of service at the time - 1929-1969? Another view of the stars treatment: